Pfizer, Coley Advance Onco-Compound

Pfizer has nominated a second compound for clinical development in its collaboration with Coley Pharmaceutical Group. Coley is developing a novel class of drug candidates known as TLR Therapeutics. This second generation drug candidate is expected to complement Pfizer’s ongoing clinical programs for PF-3512676, Coley’s lead therapeutic TLR9 agonist drug candidate, for the treatment of cancer.

Under the agreement, Pfizer has exclusive rights to two novel compounds discovered in the collaboration, while Coley retains the rights to all other molecules. To date, Coley has designed and characterized nearly 60 unique compounds, each of which elicits a distinct immune stimulatory profile based on its interaction with TLR9. The newly nominated compound, which is the first of two development candidates, will now undergo preclinical studies to further assess its pharmacokinetic and toxicology profiles before advancing into clinical trials.

Pfizer is currently investigating PF-3512676 in combination with non-cytotoxic anti-cancer agents. A Phase II clinical trial evaluating PF-3512676 in combination with Tarceva for the treatment of refractory non-small cell lung cancer, and a Phase I clinical trial evaluating PF-3512676 in combination with Pfizer’s anti-CTLA4 antibody, tremelimumab, for the treatment of advanced melanoma are both underway. Pfizer is currently planning additional clinical trials with PF-3512676 to evaluate its safety and potential efficacy in other cancer indications.